Departure from Iasi

Tour: The North of Moldavia              Overview:Although long, the tour is definitely worth it because of the

(Bucovina) an unspoiled               vivid experience that lies behind. Too many times, the tours in this are focus

corner of Europe                          focus exclusively on the UNESCO world heritage painted monasteries but

Type: excursion out of Iasi         we want to show you more than just this: the Suceava fortress, once the proud

Duration: full-day                       royal capital of Moldova, the Village museum collecting unique houses and

Price: – 199 &euro / - 111 &euro         rural workshops or the exciting black pottery artisans’ centre.

- 89 &euro                   

Included features:                         This morning we drive through the countryside mainly. This is a chance for

 Guiding services: exclusive      us to learn about major topics regarding Romania’s history and overall evolution

services of a guide/tour leader    including the nowadays realities. We will pass through some interesting small

all throughout the trip.                  towns and villages. In Romania the lack of motorways is just to a certain extent

Meal plan: lunch included            a liability since for travellers it is a great chance to see more of the countryside.

 Transportation: car /             We’ll discover more concerning the daily life in these countryside villages &

minivan: high quality / AC /             small towns including the social problems or the overall opportunities for

fridge / DVD-LCD / Internet          those people.

connection (upon request)                             

 Entrances: all entrance fees            

included, except camera &           

video fee           

Photo stop at Ruginoasa castle

     Let us agree it is a castle just according to Romanian standards. Still, a chance for us to learn the story behind this late neo gothic residence that used to belong to Cuza, the unifier prince of Romanians. We will find out also about the spell put on the castle.

Suceava fortress

     The oldest and the strongest fortress of Moldova has a past where the turmoil, the betrayals, the battles, the nobles’ councils or the romantic stories played a balanced role in writing history, an exciting history. The fortress itself is a remarkable construction, an inexpugnable place having a mote, 3 rows of defensive walls, a trap and some strong bastions. The Turks, the Poles, the Tartars failed in their attempts to take the fortress and only some betrayals made it conquerable. We will learn about the royal life at the fort, the destruction of it and also the role it still plays nowadays.

The Open Air Village Museum

     Few meters far from the fort, there is a marvellous collection of typical houses from the villages in the area. We will learn about the life in the mountains as opposed to the lowlands, about the features of the houses and we will also see a recreation of a village’s water mill and an ironsmith workshop.

Marginea

     Marginea is a unique place in Eastern Europe. 50 years ago there were 7 villages in North of Moldavia that manufactured the black pottery. Nowadays only the Magopat family ran one in Marginea still survives. The Black pottery created here develops into some outstanding pieces of art. The secret recipe through which the pottery becomes black in depth without being painted at all will be discovered as a highlight for us. We will also add to uniqueness of the experience by seeing those naïve artists at work on the ancient potter’s wheel.

Depart for Moldovita

     We will cross for the first time the North Carpathian Mountains through a magical pass. This is an opportunity for us to learn more about the wild life, Romania having the second most numerous carnivore populations in Europe. Still, the woods have played a major role in the Romanian history and folk traditions. You can then simply let yourself enjoy the breathtaking scenery.

Home hosted lunch in Maria’s house

     Maria and Constantin are some typical well off peasants in their community after almost a lifetime of hard work. We will have the chance to visit their house, sample some wonderfully cooked, fresh and organic food, prepared according to traditional village recipes. It is a chance apart from a delicious meal to experience an original and authentic village house with its cellar, animals or timberworks workshop so typical for the mountains. We will have a chance to ask them questions regarding various aspects of their and their community’s life.

Moldovita Monastery

     This magnificent early 16th century monastery is a symbol of Moldavian Middle Ages art development at a time when the religious art was almost the only form of cultural expression in this part of the world. The monastery is surrounded by protective walls like a fortress but the highlight are the paintings realized both outside and inside of it. Various scenes from the Saints’ lives, the tree of Joshua or the surprising representation of the Ancient Greek Philosophers were all meant to educate a people mainly illiterate at the time. The artists had a wise manner of combining some pleasant and striking colours among which our eyes retain mostly the reds and the iridescent green.

Voronet monastery

     Only 4 months, from May to September 1488 it took the Moldavian masters to fulfil the construction of this monastery nicknamed the Sixtine Chapel of the Orient commissioned by Stephen the Great, the most glorious ruler of Moldavia ever. This is one of the oldest but surprisingly fairly preserved monasteries in the North of Moldavia. The unmatched beauty of the paintings here come from the magical blue background known by the artists all over as the blue of Voronet, a nuance of blue never met elsewhere and impossible to be reproduced in spite of many attempts. From the architectural point of view the style of the monastery once again stands as a proof of the highly inspired combination of Byzantine, Gothic and old wooden local churches that the constructors of the time mastered perfectly.

Shopping

     Right in front of the monastery lies the largest open air bazaar of Moldavia where it is a chance for you to add to your mental memories tangible ones by shopping for some local souvenirs. Among them various wooden carvings, embroideries or the famous painted eggs.

Return to Iasi

     Relax on the way back to Iasi, after a one day tour full of discoveries and new experiences

Departure from Iasi / other city in the region

(Suceava, Bacau, Cernivtsy)

Tour: Neamt county, a land of              Overview:The Neamt county lies in the mountainous area separating

legends & fabulous spirit               Moldova from Transylvania at the cross roads of many civilizations present in

Type: excursion out of Iasi         Eastern Europe. The fortress and the monastery of Neamt are witnessing long

Duration: full-day                       long centuries of the locals struggle for preserving their values, their spirit.

Price: – 179 € / - 107 € /         The Red Lake, the Bicaz Gorges or the European Bison Park bring closer to

- 89 €                                      you the wonderful unspoiled nature of the area, while the neat small city of Piatra

Included features:                  Neamt provides a better understanding of how the local communities have been

 Guiding services: exclusive        shaped and have evolved throughout the time.

services of a guide/tour leader    

all throughout the trip.                      This morning we beging exploring the Neamt region, a mountainous region of

 Meal plan: lunch included            amazing authenticity with proud people, valuable heritage and breathtaking

 Transportation: car /              landscapes. We drive on country roads along linear villages giving us the

minivan: high quality / AC /             occasion to learn more about the everyday life, tendencies and local culture.

fridge / DVD-LCD / Internet    

connection (upon request)                             

 Entrances: all entrance fees            

 Meal plan: lunch included            

included, except camera &           

video fee           

Neamt fortress

     Jan Sobieski, the bright Polish king, the saviour of Vienna from Ottoman hands in 1683, was just one of the many rulers attempting to capture the Neamt fortress, and eventually he was successfull but to his greatest surprise he discovered that only a handfull of people had held on for several weeks against a fully-ecquiped professional Polish army. This unbiased interesting happening tells a lot about the spirit of the people living in the area, a spirit that survives even today.

Neamt Monastery

     Rather than a typical church visit, the tour of this monastery aims at introducing to us the Orthodox religion and its values, the lifestyle of the monks’ community, their traditions and beliefs as well the spirit of Moldavian monastic life.

Bicaz Gorges

     The World Famous book « 1000 Natural Wonders to see before you die » lists the Bicaz Gorges among these. A miraculous narrow canyon where the Bicaz river cut its way through pure rock leaves unforgettable memories and allows us to admire an unique natural site while taking advantage of many picture opportunities.

Mountain pass into Transylvania

     Altghough for ideological reasons history often presented the Hungarain and Romanian communities as antagonistic ones, today you will discover in the Red Lake village how ordinary people live in peace and harmony, far from any politically driven tension trying to make their area better known to travellers from all over the world and providing warm an qualitative service. Right on the border of the two provinces we will have our lunch in a nice local restaurant sampling some local specialities

Red Lake

     Now we will share a little secret with you knowing that we can count on you discretion : the Red Lake is a nice name for tourists while the local call it « the Killer Lake », because when it was formed naturally, over a century ago, as a result of a mountain slide, some sheperds lost their lives. The lake is another world known natural site, famous for its beauty, lying at the foot of some impressive high mountains allowing us to relax while admiring the nature and some of the best native fishers, birds such as the wild ducks.

Piatra Neamt

     Only the rigid and invasive communist arhitecture partly spoiled partly the city of Piatra Neamt, probably the nicest city in Romania, judged by its natural environment. A natural depression surrounded by proud mountains, Piatra Neamt is a small neat town with an interesting history behind. We will tour the Old Town Square, where the Stephen the Great’s Watch Tower still stands as a witness of glorious times when Moldova was praised even by the Popes for its courage to challange the Ottoman Empire. Not far from there, a beautiful small Synagogue reminds us of a once very numerous Jewish community, that although mostly emigrated to Israel still keeps Piatra Neamt in their souls.

Return to Iasi